1. Technical Field
The invention relates to electric guitar effects. More particularly, the invention relates to guitar effects pedal boards.
2. Description of the Background Art
Special effects are often used to color or otherwise alter the sound produced by a guitar. This inroad of technology into the forest of sound was pioneered by Les Paul in the late 1940's and early 1950's, but such effects are now most famously associated with Jimi Hendrix. It is today uncommon to find a guitar player who does not use at least some such effects to add expression to their performance. Such effects are often used in combination. For example, for certain arrangements a wah pedal and overdrive may be desired, while in other arrangements a flanger and equalization may be chosen. Each such device is colloquially referred to as a “stomp box” because it is typically actuated when the player stomps on an on/off switch with his foot. This is necessary because the player typically needs both hands to play the guitar, some of Van Halen's technique notwithstanding. As such, the routing of cables and provisioning of power to such effects, particularly for performers who must repeatedly set up and take down their equipment, has become challenging at best. To address this problem a type of rack, referred to as a “pedal board,” has been marketed that provides a surface to which the effects may be mounted and that also provides both power and signal routing to minimize cable clutter. The PEDALTRAIN product (see FIG. 1), manufactured and marketed by PRO STAGE GEAR LLC. of Franklin, Tenn., is an exemplary guitar effects pedal board. While the pedal board is a useful adjunct to the musician's toolkit, it lacks facility with regard to oversize effects, such as wah pedals. Thus, the musician is back where he started with scattered effects and cable clutter.